


One Hundred Things

by Darknightjess (orphan_account), jay_linden



Category: Lord of the Rings RPF
Genre: M/M, Prompt Table
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2009-11-18
Updated: 2009-11-18
Packaged: 2017-10-03 07:44:46
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,399
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15762
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/Darknightjess, https://archiveofourown.org/users/jay_linden/pseuds/jay_linden
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Each side of conversation contains one of the prompt words from the <a href="http://www.livejournal.com/userinfo.bml?user=fanfic100">Fanfiction 100 Prompt Table.</a> It is not how they meant it to be used, but we did it as an exercise... and to battle writers block.</p>
    </blockquote>





	One Hundred Things

**Author's Note:**

> Each side of conversation contains one of the prompt words from the [Fanfiction 100 Prompt Table.](http://www.livejournal.com/userinfo.bml?user=fanfic100) It is not how they meant it to be used, but we did it as an exercise... and to battle writers block.

Orlando stood in the security check in line, shifting from one foot to the other. He pulled the bag off of his shoulder and shifted it to the other side, tugging his hat lower on his face. He reached and pulled his mobile out of his pocket, flipping it open with his thumb and hitting the speed dial.

Viggo sat the brush down, absently toggling the button on his cell, glad that he'd actually remembered to have the handset on this time. "Begin," he said, lifting the brush again, still focused on the painting.

"God you're odd." Orlando laughed. "I'm standing in the middle of the security line. If the flight's on time I'll leave in a little over an hour."

"Me being odd is something new?" Viggo laughed, grinning as he realized who was on the other end of the phone. "Do you need me to come pick you up?"

"Nah, thanks though." Orlando said and shuffled forward in line. "Inside one of my bags is a confirmation number that a very nice lady gave me for a rental car. Of course, I may have to call for directions."

"You sure you'll be able to manage it?" Viggo teased, adding a bit of color to the painting, then stepping back again. "It may not be cold outside, but you don't always drive that well here in LA, and I don't think you want to end up lost in West Hollywood. Again."

Orlando sniffed and then laughed. "It was only a few hours and that bloke with the purple hair was very helpful."

"Hours? I was sure you were lost for days." _Or maybe it only felt like that._

"You're a bastard." Orlando said in a flippant tone. "Finally." He muttered. "Viggo, I'll call you back in a bit, after a week in this line it's my turn."

"I've heard the waits have been terrible. Good luck Orlando... I'll send help if I don't hear from you in a month or two," Viggo said, mock-sympathetically before hanging up the phone, unable to shake the grin from his face as he went back to his painting.

Barking out a laugh, Orlando turned off his phone and stuffed it in a pocket. He shook his head, after all the years he had known Viggo it would seem that he'd be used to the man's sense of humor. He was still grinning as he made his way through the intricate security measures.

Jumping as the phone rang, completely having lost track of time, Viggo sat down his brush, still loaded with bright red paint and answered the phone. "Tell me a story."

"There's a woman in orange stretchy pants sitting near the gate that looks like my Auntie Midge. She used to bring me toffee for my birthday."

"Aunt Midge... is she the one with the bright yellow hair? The one you showed us pictures of?"

"Yeah, she's drinking green tea. The lady, not Aunt Midge. Of course Aunt Midge could be drinking green tea, but I haven't talked to her in a while." Orlando said, stretching his legs out and looking around the gate area.

Viggo nodded, forgetting for a moment that Orlando couldn't see the gesture. Switching brushes, he went back to the canvas, adding small touches of a brilliant blue here and there. "I don't think I have any green tea... I might have chai," he said thoughtfully.

"There was a tea that you drank back in Wellington, I remember it had a purple label. It stunk, like bad fruit." Orlando said, grinning and shifted lower in the chair. "What're you doing?"

There was a pause while Viggo had a sip of coffee, savoring the rich brown drink. "Drinking coffee and painting. And it was mango tea, which really doesn't explain the purple label."

"Mango? Was that the - no it was papaya you mooshed up and smeared on Dom when he got the black eye." Orlando looked up, sitting straight in the chair. "Damn, they're calling my flight. I'll call you when I get on board."

"I'll be waiting. Remember- get the club house sandwich when you order your meal on board," Viggo reminded him. "This time of year it's all white meat- amazing."

"Yes mother." Orlando said closed his phone, standing and looking out the window at the colorless London sky. He hitched a sigh and walked to the gate, holding his boarding pass out.

Viggo hesitated a moment before ending the call, smiling as he went back to the painting, already looking forward to his friend calling back. _Friend? Sure that's all it is?_ Giving his head a bit of a shake, he focused again, easing the thought out of his mind.

Orlando settled in, giving the flight attendant a brilliant smile and calling her love. One thing he had learned in his travels with Ian on the press junkets, don't make an enemy of the flight attendants. Keep them smiling and life was a lot better. After they were in the air he fidgeted a bit and then finally gave in and dialed the number again.

"Hey," Viggo smiled as he answered the phone, just leaving the studio and heading for the sink to wash his hands. "Seated next to any Rings lovers this time?"

"No. Not to sound ungrateful, but thank god." He laughed. "Lady headed to visit her family. Lovely woman." He smiled toward the older lady and then sunk down in the seat. "Can we go to the beach when I get there?"

"If being half-naked in front of a bunch of strangers is what you want, we can go to the beach."

_Rather be full on naked in front of you._ Orlando thought, and then wondered when they relationship shifted so that he could only think those things instead of saying them. "Well if I was a footballer, I'd be naked in front of my teammates and fans, so.." He shrugged, tucking the phone closer and smiling. "Yeah, the beach and a cookout."

"And your family, and teammates parents..." Viggo added, laughing. "I think we can arrange a beach cookout. It's your trip, Orlando- anything you want."

"Anything?" Orlando asked, grinning. He shifted up to make sure there weren't any children behind him. "What if I want..." He hesitated. "Uh porn and alcohol." He said.

"Porn, huh?" Viggo smirked, looking a bit evil. "Well, the closest thing I've got in the house that I can remember is Henry's birth video- does that count?"

"Well, the thought of that just scared me to death." Orlando shuddered and laughed.

"I'm still not entirely sure why we recorded it," he admitted, laughing when he heard Orlando start. "I think we only watched it once, then turned it off half way through. Mostly I remember a lot of yelling, and that there was a window high up in the room that let you see the sun rising."

Leaning against the plane window, Orlando smiled, sighing. "That's a nice memory. I like the way you tell me things, describe things. You talk about sunrises and sunsets and - I can see them." He yawned.

"How long have you been awake for? If it gets to be too much, you really should just try and sleep," Viggo suggested.

"Not enough time to sleep last night. Had to pack and all." Orlando's voice slurred.

"Now somehow I had a feeling that you hadn't. Maybe it was a sixth sense. Or it could be that you sound exhausted and you're yawning," Viggo teased gently. "Sleep, Orlando. Call again when you wake up."

"M'kay." Orlando said. "Wish I had that ol' blanket of yours. It smelled like you. G'night Vig." He managed to say and pulled the phone down, closing it before drifting off.

"Wish you had what because it what?" Viggo asked, too late as the sound of the dial tone came through on the line. "Dammit," he murmured, hanging up the phone again and looking out the window, his expression thoughtful.

Orlando was deep in conversation with a penguin when a light touch to his shoulder made him jump. "Wha?" He looked around.

"I'm sorry sir. Bit of turbulence coming up. Fasten your lap belt please."

Orlando nodded and did as the flight attendant asked, yawning and scratching his chin as he flipped open the phone and dialed.

"Orlando," Viggo smiled, setting his cup down, the taste of the coffee remaining. "That wasn't that long... did you get any sleep at all?"

"Some." The young man said as he caught sight of a lightning flash through the window. "It's storming."

"It's clear and beautiful here. Hopefully you'll fly out of it soon," Viggo frowned, leaning back in his chair, his fingers drawing shapes against the denim of his jeans.

"Where's the Bermuda Triangle?"

"A very, very long way away from where you are," Viggo assured him. "You're not going near the Bermuda triangle, or the Newfoundland square or anything."

"The Newfound wha? God Viggo, you just like turning me in circles, don't you?" Orlando laughed and then jumped with a small sound as a flash of lightning lit the sky.

"Well, it is fun," Viggo admitted. "You know there's going to be a full moon tonight," he said, hoping to calm Orlando down some as he heard him jump.

"It's getting dark, but I can't see stars or anything, it's cloudy." Orlando said.

"Well, while you're here if you want, we can go someplace you can look up and see the stars," Viggo suggested, his heart starting to beat faster at the thought. "Just look up at the sky."

"Yeah, like that time - where were we - remember? We lay there on that hill and the stars were like diamonds, bright and cold." Orlando said and then interrupted himself yawning. "Love? Yes, could I have coffee? What? Oh sure. Yeah." He sniffed and then his voice was louder across the line. "No coffee until we're out of the storm."

"Who are you calling love?" Viggo sounded curious. "Someone new attached to your fan club?"

"Taking a page from Ian's rule book, be a gentleman and a darling and not only will the attendants be nice, they won't hit you in the head with a spade while you sleep and steal your wallet." Orlando said laughing and turning his back on the window. "Talk to me."

Viggo took a sip of water and leaned back again, laughing softly. "I can't say I fault his logic in the least," he murmured. "It's a slow, sleepy day here. I spent the morning in the studio- I'm still covered in paint, and now I'm sitting in the living room reading and talking to you. I suppose I should shower before you get here, get rid of all the paint."

"Is it cold enough for a fire there?"

"Not in the house, no. We could dig a hole in the earth out back, have a fire for you outside."

"Cook hotdogs and marshmallows out in the open air?" Orlando said, voice excited.

"Sure, why not," Viggo laughed, glad to hear that Orlando's spirits sounded a bit better, despite the storm. "I'm not entirely sure I have those things, but I can certainly pick them up.

"And some of those frozen waffles for breakfast?"

"Mmm... Now you've got me hungry. I think I forgot to have lunch- what time is it anyway," Viggo frowned, getting up and cradling the phone with his free hand, going to look through the cupboards.

"Viggo, I'm like hours different from you normally and right now I'm over ass end of nowhere in a plane. It could either be dinner or Tuesday and I wouldn't know." Orlando laughed and then yelped as thunder sounded.

"Breakfast, lunch, dinner, it doesn't matter- leftover chicken is good food for any time of day." He paused, hearing the yelp. "Talk to me, Orlando- tell me what else you want to do while you're here."

"Drink." Orlando grumbled and then took a breath. "Um." _Talk to you, watch you, try to figure out how you went from total stranger to lover to best friend in the world and how I make sure you don't go back to total stranger._ "I don't care, just hang out I guess."

"Are you looking forward to being somewhere that it's not all cold and frozen, even if it is the middle of winter? Are you going to stay long this time?"

"Til spring too long?" Orlando asked with a laugh.

"Hell, Orlando, if you want to stay 'til summer, you go right away," he teased back. "I've got the space... you'll just have to learn how to do yard work to earn your keep."

"You'd make me work?" Orlando asked, voice shocked as he grinned. "You'd work me until I'd fall down, wouldn't you. You bastard."

"Ah, it was just a passing thought," Viggo laughed. "Besides, you're a leading man type now... I doubt you'd be up to it."

Orlando frowned and looked at the window, rain hit it like needles. He lifted his hand and connected the rain trails with his finger. "Yeah, I'm way too good for that." He said, voice holding no humor.

"Hey, you know I was just kidding, right? If you want, I'll work you like Snow White when you get here if it'll make you feel better. Or is that Cinderella?"

Orlando smiled. "I fancy myself Red Riding hood. I look good in hats." He said and turned his back on the flickering lightning through the window.

"Is it still thundering? I thought I just heard it again." Viggo's concern was clear through the line.

"Yes." Orlando said softly. "I think it qualifies as a storm now and not just - hang on Viggo." Orlando listened as the flight attendant spoke and a soft ding sounded. "Hey Viggo, they want us to turn off mobiles and such. I'll call you back as soon as we're out of this, alright?"

"All right- I'll talk to you-" Viggo paused, the sentence broken off as the phone went dead on the other end. "Later. Talk to you later," he said, setting the phone down and looking worried.

Orlando watched as the flight attendant fixed his drink, handing it to him with a smile. He took a sip and then picked up his cell phone, checking the battery before dialing.

"Orlando?" Viggo relaxed, feeling light all of a sudden, as though a weight had lifted. "Glad to hear from you again."

"Hi. Sorry. It's all good now, it got dark as shite, but we're out of it now."

"Just a brief trip through the shade, then out again, huh?" Viggo laughed, a bit shakily. "I'll be happier once you've landed.

"Me too." Orlando said and took a sip of his drink. "Who was it that used to drink scotch and tea? Back in New Zeeland, do you remember?"

"What? Scotch and tea?" Viggo sounded distracted, needing a moment to get back on track again. "Sorry... it was Sean. Right?"

"Where was it we were that he ordered that and the waitress thought he was daft?" Orlando laughed.

"It was at the premiere for one of the films... I can't remember when or which movie, but it was here in California, I think."

"Why couldn't that time have lasted? Hmm?" Orlando asked. "It was so brilliant back then, so easy and - just fucking great." He laughed.

"Well, you know how it goes... films end, people move on," Viggo shrugged, not feeling nearly as casual as he sounded.

"If you had your way - would you go back - to - how it was?"

"And then what? You can't reshoot a film... just try and recapture some part... which part of how it was are you talking about Orlando?" Viggo asked, his voice soft.

Orlando heard the question in his voice. It was one that he himself had asked before. He sighed. "Yeah, sound like a bit of a baby, don't I? Whining for days gone past. Oh hey, we're getting ready to land. I'm going to turn off the mobile and sweet talk the flight attendant into one more drink and I'll see you in an hour or two, yeah?"

"Forget the drink, see if she'll give you another minute or two." _Fuck, don't hang up now._ "What do you wish was different- or the same, really?"

"What's that saying? Youth is wasted on the young?" Orlando said with a chuckle, turning so the attendant wouldn't see him still on the phone. "I mean, for god's sake, who actually thinks the choices that we make when we're young are always right? What if they aren't? What if deciding that my career was the most important thing wasn't the right choice?"

"Life keeps on going, and you can't go backwards. Time is linear. All we can do is recognize the mistakes we've made and try not to make them too many more times." He paused, swallowing hard. "So which was the mistake? Walking away then, or thinking that we made the wrong choice now?"

Orlando chewed his lip, thinking. He looked to where the attendant was checking things and picking up trash. "I feel like I'm back in school. May have to sneak into the loo any second to finish the call." He muttered and then took a breath. "If I said I thought we should try not going backwards, but keeping the friendship and adding a wee bit of what we had before, what would you say?"

_Christ, please don't have to hang up. Not yet. Not now._ "I... shit. Orlando, I don't want to be the one making things difficult for you. Acting isn't just work, just a job for you. It's a part of who you are. And you deserve to not have to worry about making that balance." He paused and sighed. "That's what I should be telling you right now."

"Okay, yes - yes - I'm sorry. Fuck!" Orlando said. "Viggo sorry that wasn't to you, I've got to go. I'll see you when I get home, alright? I've got to - yes ma'am - I know, yes. Bye Vig." The line went dead.

"No- Orlando, please don't- FUCK!" Viggo growled as the line went dead again, only just managing to keep from throwing the phone, a birthday present from Henry, against the wall. "Goddammit- wait." Viggo went quiet again, thinking over what Orlando had just said. _Home. He said when he gets home. Not 'here', home._

When the plane finally landed and they were herded off and through the terminal, Orlando moved quickly o the rental car desk. He resisted calling Viggo from inside the airport. The crowds were teeming with a post Christmas surliness, and he didn't want to have to pay attention to who was standing near him. Finally wrestling his bags into the rental car and setting out, map in hand, Orlando flipped open his mobile, took a breath and dialed.

Saying a quick prayer of thanksgiving as the phone rang, Viggo grabbed it quickly. "Hello? Orlando?"

"Hey Vig." Orlando murmured and accelerated up the entrance ramp to the freeway. "There's such a sense of independence driving a rental car." He said, frowning at his own words, stalling for time to figure out how to say what he wanted to say.

Viggo hit the stop button on the cd player, U2's 'New Year's Day' cutting off mid song, leaving the room in silence for a few moments before he could find any words. "You said home. On the phone, before you hung up. You said you were coming home."

"Yeah. That okay?" Orlando asked, changing lanes as he watched for the exit. "That you're home to me - is that okay?"

A slow smile spread over Viggo's face as he took in Orlando's words, nodding before he answered, forgetting again that Orlando wouldn't be able to see the gesture. "It's okay. It's better than okay."

"Yeah?" Orlando replied, nose wrinkling in a huge grin. "So, I'm coming home and we're going to the beach and cook outside and look at the stars and - and yeah." He sighed and then squeaked as he almost missed the exit.

Viggo laughed as he heard the squeak, the smile stretched across his entire face. "Any of that, all of that, anything you want. Just come home."

"I am Vig, I am." Orlando laughed, phone pressed to his ear as he steered the car toward home.


End file.
